Bitmain controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
Back to profile5 entries
2025
Sophgo export-control controversy
Bitmain subsidiary Sophgo was placed on the United States Entity List following reports that a TSMC-made chip had been incorporated into a Huawei artificial-intelligence processor.
2021
Bitmain files trade-secret lawsuit against Yang Zuoxing and Bitmain Microelectronics
Lawsuit filed
Bitmain Technology Co. filed a trade-secret infringement lawsuit against Yang Zuoxing, Shenzhen Bitmain Microelectronics Technology Co. and its Beijing branch, seeking 99 million yuan; the Beijing Intellectual Property Court accepted the case.
Source excerpt
4月9日，比特大陆科技有限公司向北京知识产权法院提起了侵犯商业秘密诉讼，起诉杨作兴及其创办的深圳比特微电子科技有限公司、深圳比特微电子科技有限公司北京市分公司，诉讼标的额9900万元。目前，北京知识产权法院已正式受理此案。
4月7日，比特大陆科技有限公司向北京知识产权法院提起了侵犯商业秘密诉讼，起诉杨作兴及其创办的深圳比特微电子科技有限公司（简称为比特微公司）、深圳比特微电子科技有限公司北京市分公司（简称为比特微北京公司），诉讼标的额9900万元。
北京知识产权法院已正式受理了此案。
2019
Co-founder control dispute
A public conflict between Micree Zhan and Jihan Wu involved the removal of executives, contested voting rights, competing corporate structures, administrative proceedings, and litigation in the Cayman Islands and China. The dispute concluded through a corporate separation in January 2021.
2018
Bitcoin Cash governance controversy
Bitmain supported Bitcoin Cash ABC during the 2018 Bitcoin Cash split. Antpool was also reported to have destroyed a portion of mined Bitcoin Cash by sending it to irrecoverable addresses, an action associated with efforts to support the asset's price.
2018
United States initialization-mining allegations
A proposed class action alleged that Bitmain's ASIC devices were configured to mine cryptocurrency for Bitmain using customers' electricity during lengthy initialization procedures. The allegation was reported as litigation rather than an established finding.